Guides · Planning · 4 min
What happens at a removals survey, and why we insist on one
Twenty minutes on a video call is the difference between a guess and a fixed price. Here is exactly what the surveyor looks at.
Every home move we do starts with a survey. People sometimes ask if we can skip it and quote over the phone. We can, but the number would be a guess, and guesses get corrected on the day.
Video or in person
Most surveys are a 20-minute video call on your phone. You walk round, we look. For large houses, offices or anything unusual (a piano, a garden room, a long drive) we come in person, usually within 48 hours.
What we look at
- Every room, including the loft, the shed and the garage. That is where the surprises live.
- Large items that need taking apart or a specialist trolley: wardrobes, range cookers, pianos, safes.
- Stairs and lifts at both ends. A second-floor flat without a lift adds about a fifth to the time on the job.
- Parking. How far the lorry will be from the door, and whether we need a suspension.
- What you want packed, if anything.
What you get afterwards
Within a working day, an email with the vehicle, the number of movers, the hours we expect, and a fixed price. If you add things later, we adjust it. If we got the stairs wrong, we do not.
